Three Days in Guilin

China has various landscapes to see, and the mountains and rivers in Guilin are better not to be missed. During my first China trip, I planed three days trip in Guilin. It was a memorable journey, so here I write it down to share it with my friends.

July 23, Guilin

My flight landed in Guilin at 10:10. I took the airport shuttle bus (CNY 20) and arrived at Guilin Railway Station. From there, I took a taxi to Xiangshan Hotel. After a smooth check in, I began a half day visit in Guilin City. Guilin is a small city. There is not too much scenery to see, frankly speaking. Have seen many pictures of Elephant Trunk Hill, I decided to go there to have a look. Being a foreign that was totally unfamiliar to this city, I still chose to take a taxi for convenience. The park was located at the western bank of Li River in the southeast of the city. The entrance fee was CNY 33. The Elephant Trunk Hill was the pride of the city. The scenery was enchanting but a two hours visit in the park was quite enough. I took a lot of pictures and went outside for lunch. The famous snack in Guilin was perhaps the rice noodles. So I would not miss it. Having no idea about which restaurant sold the best, I just wandered on the street and checked. Finally I came across one –Ronggui Restaurant. I ordered the rice noodle with beef soup. It was CNY 2.5 for a bowl and you could ask more. The taste was refreshing. Here I recommend it to every gourmet who will come to Guilin. After having a full stomach, I returned to my hotel, rested and prepared for my next stop.

July 24, Lijiang River (Yangdi-Xingping)

I got up early and rushed to Railway Station from where I could get to Yangdi, the start point of Lijiang River drift. I caught up a regular bus which cost CNY 15. After one hour journey, I arrived at Yangdi Crossing, and transferred to a minibus to Yangdi Dock. From there, I got in touch with the boatman Mr.Su whom I had phoned. (Warm reminds: you are suggested to contact the local boatman if possible, who would save you CNY 16 for the entrance ticket for the “self-tour in Lijiang River”. You can find their telephone no. through the internet.) I paid him CNY 90 for the drift on a bamboo raft with other four travelers from Yangdi to Xingping. In the middle of the journey, we stopped at Jiumahua Mountain (Nine Horse Mountain). The guide told us there were nine horses on the mountain but I failed to count them out. I bought some fried fish and shrimps on the bank. They tasted good if not too oily. After passing Jiumahua Mountain, we arrived at Xingping Dock. I took a local bus to Yangshuo where I have already booked a room in Shaouju.

July 25, West Street

The West Street is said to have a history of 1,400 years. When come to Yangshuo, most visitors will go to West Street to experience its mixture of different culture and buy some souvenirs. I’m not an exception. Shaouju Hostel is quite near the West Street. After having a good sleep in the hostel, the next morning, I walked to the street. The street was narrow and packed with various shops. It was becoming highly commercialized. Foreigners were seen more than the local people. They were leisurely chatting or drinking coffees in the cafes along the street. I was attracted by the T-shirts in a shop. They were made uniquely with different words on it. I liked one with the Chinese characters “Wo Shi Lao Wai”. “What that means?” I asked the owner. “It means you are the foreigner!” “Yeah, yeah, indeed am I!” He wanted CNY 50 for the T-shirt, but I cut him down to CNY 20. I enjoyed the bargain quite a lot. After some window shopping, I returned to my hostel.

I left Guilin on the fourth day. My Chinese friends told me I just had visited a small part of the scenic spots in Guilin. I agreed and I would come to this beautiful land again if possible, to visit the rest.